Category Archives: Wildlife

When mosquitos look at kids, they see little targets everywhere. One evening outside means days of itchy welts. Big golf ball kinds of welts! You can go through a lot of Benadryl every summer because it’s been the only thing that gives them any relief, but there is a better, safer, cheaper way to get rid of that itch. Soap! Just rub a bar of dry soap over a mosquito bite and feel better instantly. Seriously!

COMMENT: Claudia’s poor little legs were covered with mosquito bites that were even keeping her awake at night. The anti-itch creams weren’t working for long, and giving her Benadryl during the school day just wasn’t practical, so I turned to my old friend Google. A quick search led me to TipNut, where I found the perfect remedy to make my sweet girl feel better. A plain old bar of soap! And it works!

These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen. So if you’ve had the opportunity to see one of these animals while in Canada then consider yourself very fortunate. The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts, stalks and hunts in our remote northern Ontario forests in and around Wawang Lake Resort. Although we’ve been at Wawang Lake for over 40 years now we have actually only seen these animals a few times.

Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during long, frigid Canadian winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as bobcats at supporting its weight on the snow.

Lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every ten years.

If you’ve ever driven any distance through the Canadian bush – especially endless miles of tree-lined, two-lane highways, then you will know about the moose as they often move about our Canadian highways freely.

There are foreboding signs along the way featuring outlines of these hulking creatures nonchalantly strolling across your path. The message is not one of protecting the environment, it is one of avoiding mortal danger and a warning to YOU.

An uneasy feeling starts to set in right about dusk, when the light of the sky darkens enough to match the light thrown by your high-beams.

If you know about the threat of the moose you will tend to slow down just a little, and your eyes will skirt furtively for motion and shadows along the treeline. Because you do not want to hit a moose. If you do, it will almost certainly be THE event of your day. Although generally timid, the males become very bold during the breeding season, when the female sutter a loud call, which can be heard from up to 2 miles away, and are often mistaken for lowing cattle; at such times they fight both with their antlers and their hoofs. Fierce clashing of antlers between males is also not uncommon during the rutting season. The female gives birth to one or two young at a time, which are not spotted. The gestation period for a moose is about 216-240 days. After the young are born, they drink the mother’s milk, which is very high in fat and other nutrients. Because of the milk, the calf grows very fast.

The cow moose is reported to kill more people in Canada than any other animal (far exceeding the toll of the grizzly bear). These large animals can be extremely protective of their young, and caution should be exercised when approaching a cow moose.

In the spring, moose can often been seen in drainage ditches at the side of roads, taking advantage of road salt which has run off the road. These minerals replace electrolytes missing from their winter diet. However, this is where the most potential danger lies in these locations as the moose will come out to the open for various reasons one especially to get away from the flies. So on your journey up to Wawang Lake be sure to heed the warning signs – keep your eyes peeled and scan the timberline on each side of the road for these majestic animals.

We went to a restaurant and sat in the patio section. We happened to notice zip lock baggies pinned to a post and a wall. The bags were half filled with… …water, each contained 4 pennies, and they were zipped shut. Naturally we were curious! The owner told us that these baggies kept the flies away! So naturally we were even more curious! We actually watched some flies come in the open window, stand around on the window sill, and then fly out again. And there were no flies in the eating area!

Below are comments on this fly control idea. I’m now a believer!

Zip-lock water bags: #1 Says: I tried the zip lock bag and pennies this weekend. I have a horse trailer. The flies were bad while I was camping. I put the baggies with pennies above the door of the LQ. NOT ONE FLY came in the trailer.The horse trailer part had many. Not sure why it works but it does!

#2 Says:Fill a zip lock bag with water and 5 or 6 pennies and hang it in the problem area. In my case it was a particular window in my home. It had a slight passage way for insects. Every since I have done that, it has kept flies and wasps away. Some say that wasps and flies mistake the bag for some other insect nest and are threatened.

#3 Says:I swear by the plastic bag of water trick. I have them on porch and basement. We saw these in Northeast Mo. at an Amish grocery store& have used them since. They say it works because a fly sees a reflection& won’t come around.

#4 Says:Regarding the science behind zip log bags of water? My research found that the millions of molecules of water presents its own prism effect and given that flies have a lot of eyes, to them it’s like a zillion disco balls reflecting light, colors and movement in a dizzying manner. When you figure that flies are prey for many other bugs, animals, birds, etc., they simply won’t take the risk of being around that much perceived action. I moved to a rural area and thought these “hillbillies” were just yanking my city boy chain but I tried it and it worked immediately! We went from hundreds of flies to seeing the occasional one, but he didn’t hang around long.

These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen. So if you’ve had the opportunity to see one of these animals while in Canada then consider yourself very fortunate. The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts, stalks and hunts in our remote northern Ontario forests in and around Wawang Lake Resort. Although we’ve been at Wawang Lake for over 40 years now we have actually only seen these animals a few times.

Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during long, frigid Canadian winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as bobcats at supporting its weight on the snow.

Lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every ten years.

The Marten is active about 16 hours a day during the spring and summer.

It is an agile climber but takes almost all its prey on the ground.

They exemplify curiosity, ferocity, and lightning-fast reflexes of the weasel family.

The Marten is known for its beautiful coat that is marketed as Canadian or American sable and generally commands a high price

The marten is a common animal at Wawang Lake and its a treat when our guests get an opportunity to see one. It is a small predator, and a member of the weasel family. It is similar in size to a small cat but has shorter legs, a more slender body, a bushy tail, and a pointed face. The fur varies from pale yellowish buff to dark blackish brown. During winter, the marten has a beautiful dark brown fur coat and a bright orange throat patch. The summer coat is lighter in colour and not nearly as thick.

The Mustelidae family also includes several other more familiar animals such as the ermine, skunk, and mink. It is thought that martens entered North America from Asia about 60 000 years ago. There are several species of martens worldwide and perhaps the most famous is the Russian sable, which is well known for its luxurious fur.

Signs and soundsIn winter, the soles of a marten’s feet are covered with fur and the toes are not distinguishable in the tracks. Tracks are about 3.7 cm long and form two ovals that overlap by about one third. This happens because martens travel with a loping sort of gait, and the hind feet land in the tracks left by the front feet. Loping is common among mustelids, and it takes some practice to be able to distinguish the tracks of the various species.

Habitat and HabitsMartens prefer old growth coniferous or mixed woods forest, although they may seek food in some open areas. However, the amount of undisturbed forest is continually diminishing, and new-growth forests do not support as many marten as the original forest did. In northern Ontario, for example, the density of marten in forests logged 10 to 50 years ago is only 10 to 30 percent of the number in uncut areas. Loss of habitat has contributed in a major way to the decline in abundance of this species in North America. There is some indication that martens may tolerate partial logging of their habitat, but this needs more study and a cooperative multiple use management program for forested lands.

The marten is a solitary animal. Adults will maintain living areas—called home ranges—by keeping out other members of the same sex while tolerating members of the opposite sex. Males and females spend time together only during the mating season. Home ranges vary in size with changes in both the marten population and the abundance of food. When food is abundant a male’s range is about 3.5 km; if food is scarce this size may double. Females require only about half the area needed by males. Home ranges in logged areas are also much larger than those in uncut forest.

Marten hunt at all times of the day in spring and summer and are most active at daybreak and dusk. During these seasons they are active for about 16 hours a day. Females with young in the den are only active during the day for about six to eight hours. As the temperatures drop, marten are increasingly less active at night. During the coldest months they may hunt for only a few hours in the warmest part of the day. If the weather turns stormy and very cold they may even den up for several days.

Unique characteristicsCurious and excitable, martens hunt by investigating underneath downed trees and stumps, inside hollow trees, and in dense clumps of young conifers. In winter, they are known to hunt beneath the snow in tunnels created by red squirrels or under snow-covered logs. Loggers often see them near their camps, and a stolen lunch bag is not unheard of. The marten exemplifies the curiosity, ferocity, and lightning-fast reflexes of the weasel family. Marten are known not to be fond of water. However, swimming martens have been seen, although they travelled only a short distance.FeedingThe marten is often described as an “arboreal predator,” but this is inaccurate. The misconception probably arose from the fact that martens are seen in trees where they have climbed to escape an intruder. Martens are agile climbers but take almost all their prey on the ground. They have an extremely varied diet and are classed as generalized predators; that is, they will eat whatever they can catch. Mostly they feed on mice, voles, hare, grouse, squirrels, and shrews. They are also known to take birds’ eggs and amphibians and make extensive use of berries, especially raspberries and blueberries.

BreedingMale and female martens spend time together only during the mating season in late July and early August. The female rears the young alone. Litter size is reported to range from two to six but is most often three, and the young are born in March or April, eight or nine months after mating.

This is an abnormally long gestation, or pregnancy, period for a small mammal and results from a phenomenon known as delayed implantation. After mating and fertilization, development of the embryo stops at a very early stage. Implantation into the uterus wall does not take place until February. Delayed implantation occurs in several other members of the Mustelidae family as well.

The young are born in a den, usually located inside a hollow tree. At birth, they weigh about 30 g, are blind, and are covered with a very fine fur. The female nurses the young well into the summer, spending little time away from the den until the young leave with her in June or July. Raising the young is an extremely energy-demanding task, and the female may lose considerable weight during this period. The kits apparently stay with their mother until late August or September, when they disperse. Females may breed in their first year, but most do not breed until they are two years old. Males are probably not capable of breeding until their second year either.

These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen. So if you’ve had the opportunity to see one of these animals while in Canada then consider yourself very fortunate. The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts, stalks and hunts in our remote northern Ontario forests in and around Wawang Lake Resort. Although we’ve been at Wawang Lake for over 40 years now we have actually only seen these animals a few times.

Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during long, frigid Canadian winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as bobcats at supporting its weight on the snow.

At Wawang Lake we’ve had the pleasure to see these cats during winter and summer. They are stealthy and beautiful to look at.

Lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every ten years.

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Two young kids moved into the remote region of NW Ontario and took with them a dream........ 'It became Wawang Lake Resort'
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